LAMP assays of Zika virus and other infectious agents will inevitably see expanded use due to their simplicity, sensitivity, specificity, and economy

Abstract

We would like to thank Annals of Translational Medicine for the opportunity to respond to the editorials on our recent publication, Rapid and specific detection of Asian- and African-lineage Zika viruses. And we thank Yaniv Lustig, Danit Sofer, Musa Hindiyeh, and Ella Mendelson, and Erick Mora-Cárdenas and Alessandro Marcello for their carefully considered remarks. The editorials reflect the writer’s experience in evaluating environmental samples for many diseases and show their great interest in the continuing development of diagnostic tools for deployment at points of care and in the field. We would like to take this opportunity to address their points, with which we are largely in agreement but may not have made clear in the publication.